JP2022532616A - In-vehicle communication system, in-vehicle communication method, and device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application provides an in-vehicle communication system for use in a vehicle. An in-vehicle communication system includes a control device, multiple gateway devices, and multiple communication endpoints. Each gateway device is communicatively connected to the control device and each gateway device is communicatively connected to at least two other gateway devices in the plurality of gateway devices. Each gateway device is further communicatively connected to at least one communication endpoint. When the gateway device or controller receives communication data of the end-to-end communication, it routes the communication data by using the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy, and the first communication link is abnormal. If so, it is configured to route some or all of the communication data by using the second communication link. The system may be used in the fields of assisted driving and automated driving, and may also be used in other similar communication fields or application scenarios not related to the Internet of vehicles. Intelligent car in-vehicle communication connection redundancy has been implemented to help implement low-latency, robust, stable and reliable in-vehicle communication and improve safety for self-driving vehicles.

Description

The present invention relates to the field of vehicle technology and, in particular, to in-vehicle communication systems, in-vehicle communication methods, and devices.

Automotive electrical / electronic (E / E) architectural systems implement the interconnection and functionality of components such as electrical / electronic controllers, sensors, and actuators in vehicles. The E / E architecture includes all electrical / electronic components, interconnect / topology structures, and logical functions of electrical / electronic components. The in-vehicle communication network is a framework of E / E architecture that connects all electric control units (Electric Control Units, ECUs) in the vehicle and communicates between ECUs such as controllers, memories, actuators, and sensors. To implement.

With the development of science and technology, intelligent cars, especially self-driving cars, have become an important development direction for the global automobile industry. Self-driving vehicles can be used to transport people or goods. This can greatly improve the mobility convenience and efficiency of people. In the future, self-driving vehicles will have high business and social value. A self-driving vehicle is a vehicle that can detect the environment around the self-driving vehicle in navigation and implement self-driving when the vehicle is unmanned. Various vehicle-mounted devices in a vehicle play a very important role in processing such as intelligent driving, assisted driving, self-driving, and intelligent vehicle communication. Various in-vehicle equipment such as switches, bridges, and Ethernet mounted on the vehicle transmit different types of detected and collected data or communication data at any time while the vehicle is moving. These facilities play important roles in vehicle internet, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and vehicle-to-person communication, effectively improving the safety and comfort of driving a vehicle. Specifically, self-driving vehicles use devices such as acoustic radars, laser radars, navigation systems, odometers, accelerometers, and cameras to drive actuators to complete self-driving. Information about the location of the vehicle and surrounding objects may be detected, and control systems may be used to interpret the detected information and identify navigation routes.

A low-latency, robust, stable and reliable in-vehicle communication network ensures the safe movement of self-driving vehicles. How to improve the safety of self-driving vehicles is one of the problems that should be solved urgently by those skilled in the art.

Embodiments of the present invention provide in-vehicle communication systems, in-vehicle communication methods, and devices for vehicles to help implement low-latency, robust, stable, and reliable in-vehicle communication networks, self-driving vehicles. Improves safety.

According to the first aspect, the present invention provides an in-vehicle communication system. The system includes at least one control device (the control device in this specification may also be referred to as a controller for short) and a plurality of gateway devices (the gateway device in this specification is also referred to as a gateway for short). Includes) and multiple communication endpoints. Each gateway device is communicably connected to the control device, each gateway device is communicably connected to at least two other gateway devices in multiple gateway devices, and each gateway device is communicably connected to at least one communication endpoint. Further communicably connected, the plurality of gateway devices includes a first gateway device. The control device is configured to control each communication endpoint in a plurality of communication endpoints. When the first gateway device receives the first communication data of end-to-end communication, it routes the first communication data by using the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy. And when the first communication link is abnormal, it is configured to route some or all of the first communication data by using the second communication link indicated by the local routing policy.

End-to-end communication includes at least one of the following: Communication between at least two communication endpoints on multiple communication endpoints, communication between at least two gateway devices on multiple gateway devices, between any communication endpoint and control device on multiple communication endpoints. Communication, and communication between any gateway device and control device in multiple gateway devices.

In the in-vehicle communication network architecture provided in the present invention, each gateway device is designed to be connected to a control device, and each gateway device is communicably connected to at least two other gateway devices thereof. As a result, it can be seen that communication line redundancy can be achieved in terms of architecture and system design. In the normal case, the gateway device in the in-vehicle communication network may select the first communication link (eg, the optimal / shortest communication link) based on the network topology to implement the communication, as a result. , Communication requirements for low latency transmission can be guaranteed between gateways and controllers, and between gateways. In addition, when the first communication link is abnormal (eg, the gateway or interface or line at the first communication link is abnormal), network transmission capability is still provided based on communication line redundancy. It is possible. In other words, the communication data is transmitted by using the second communication link. This guarantees communication function security, improves the robustness, stability, and reliability of the in-vehicle communication network, and improves the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, the control device may be connected to at least one communication endpoint.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, each communication endpoint may be, for example, a sensor or an electric control unit (ECU) of an actuator.

Sensors are configured to collect environment-related data. Sensors are, for example, millimeter-wave radars, laser radars, ultrasonic radars, cameras, positioning systems (eg GPS or satellite positioning systems), inertial sensors, speed sensors, acceleration sensors, humidity sensors, or light intensity sensors in vehicles. It may be there.

An ECU is an electronic unit inside a vehicle that has computing and control functions, controls one or more functions, and sends information or commands to an actuator or another controlled component of the vehicle. The ECU may be, for example, an ECU of a servomotor, an ECU of a hydraulic device, or an ECU of a dedicated system. The dedicated system is, for example, an anti-lock braking system (ABS) or an electronic stabilization program (ESP). Various ECUs may be referred to herein as actuators.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, each gateway device in a plurality of gateway devices is connected in series to a gateway device adjacent to the gateway device to form a ring communication network.

In an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, each gateway device is communicably connected to a control device, and each gateway device is connected to a control device to form a star communication network (abbreviated as star network). .. Therefore, when a ring communication network (abbreviated as a ring network) is further formed among a plurality of gateway devices, the star network and the ring network jointly implement redundant transmission. Network topology architectures formed on the basis of star and ring networks can provide redundancy in terms of architecture and system design. In the normal case, the device (eg, gateway or controller) in the in-vehicle communication network may select the best / shortest communication link based on the network topology to implement the communication, and as a result, with the gateway. Communication requirements for low latency transmission can be guaranteed between the controller and the gateway. When the gateway, interface, or link is abnormal, the redundant transmission implemented by the star network and ring network is used to guarantee network transmission capability, communication function security, and in-vehicle communication network robustness. , Stability, and reliability are further improved, and the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles, is further improved.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, each gateway device in a plurality of gateway devices is communicably connected to all other gateway devices to form a mesh communication network (mesh network).

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, the local routing policy of the first gateway device is determined based on the network topology of the in-vehicle communication system and the route target of the end-to-end communication.

In an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, each gateway device is connected to a control device to form a star network. Therefore, when multiple gateway devices further form a mesh network, the star network and the ring network work together to implement redundant transmission. Compared to the ring networks mentioned above, mesh networks can further enhance redundant connectivity between gateways. Thus, network topology architectures formed on the basis of star and mesh networks can provide more / more complex redundancy in terms of architecture and system design. In the normal case, the device (eg, gateway or controller) in the in-vehicle communication network may select the best / shortest communication link based on the network topology to implement the communication, and as a result, with the gateway. Communication requirements for low latency transmission can be guaranteed between the controller and the gateway. When a gateway, interface, or link is abnormal, redundant transmission implemented by star and mesh networks is used to ensure network transmission capability, communication functional security, and in-vehicle communication network robustness. , Stability, and reliability are further improved, and the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles, is further improved.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, the abnormality of the first communication link specifically includes at least one of the following: That is,
The first communication link fails, the first communication link becomes congested, and some functions of the first communication link fail.

Failure of the first communication link may mean that the associated network element in the first communication link is abnormal (eg, failure or failure). For example, the entire gateway may be defective, one or more sensors / actuators may be defective, or even the controller chip may be abnormal.

Alternatively, the failure of the first communication link may mean that the connection line, cable, or interface at the first communication link is abnormal (eg, failed, defective, or disconnected). For example, the connection between the sensor / actuator and the gateway, the connection between the sensor / actuator and the controller, the connection between the gateway and the gateway, or the connection between the gateway and the controller may be abnormal.

Failure of some functions of the first communication link means failure of some functions of the gateway in the first communication link, or the traffic capacity of the line port is reduced, or the switching capacity of the gateway is reduced. Therefore, the switching capacity of the gateway may be reduced, or a problem with the controller in the first communication link, for example, the physical chip between the controller and the gateway may result in a reduction in transmission rate. Sometimes.

Failure of a link or failure of some features can be caused by a variety of reasons, for example, line congestion caused by complex communication scenarios where devices / lines / interfaces are aging. In some cases, collisions / impacts while the vehicle is running can result in loosening / falling / damage / disconnection of electronic components.

Congestion of the first communication link means that the communication traffic at the gateway, connection line, cable, or interface involved in the first communication link exceeds the traffic threshold for normal processing, resulting in communication bandwidth. The width may be blocked.

Congestion of a link can result from a significant increase in communication data in an emergency or because traffic is distributed to that link due to an exception to another communication link.

In theory, electronic components such as controller chips, cables, interfaces, and connectors could hit or fail, or various electronic components could be impacted, loosened, cut, or damaged, or It can be seen that some electronic components may be defective or damaged after a car collision, or the link may be congested due to an increased amount of data on the link. These possibilities can result in disruption of in-vehicle network communication or damage to some vehicle functions. However, according to this embodiment of the present invention, the in-vehicle communication system can still provide stable and reliable communication support when the above-mentioned problems occur. This avoids safety issues or even driving accidents and guarantees the driving safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, at least two communication endpoints in a plurality of communication endpoints have the same function or overlapping functions. At least two communication endpoints are separately communicable connected to different gateway devices.

Alternatively, at least two communication endpoints in the plurality of communication endpoints have the same function or overlapping functions. At least one communication endpoint in at least two communication endpoints is communicably connected to at least one gateway device in multiple gateway devices, and another communication endpoint in at least two communication endpoints has at least one control. Connected to the device communicably.

The same or duplicate feature is that the specific functionality of one or more communication endpoints in one group is completely or partially replaced by the functionality of one or more communication endpoints in another group. Means that is possible. For example, if two cameras of the same model cover the same area, it can be considered that the two cameras have the same image perception function. Alternatively, if cameras of different precision cover the same area, it can be considered that the cameras have overlapping functions. Alternatively, if the camera and laser radar cover the same range but have different image types, it can be considered that the camera has overlapping functions.

During implementation of this embodiment of the invention, electronic modules in the area that implement the same or similar functions (sensors, actuators, combinations of sensors and actuators, etc.) may be separately connected to or connected to different gateways. The gateway and controller are connected separately by using two or more links. In this way, when the entire gateway in the area is bad or fails, when the entire controller in the area is bad or fails, or when the entire electronic module connected to the gateway in the area is bad or bad. In the event of a failure, or if the link is abnormal, another link that acts as a redundant connection can still implement good communication. Two-link redundancy backup further enhances vehicle driving safety, reliability, and robustness.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, at least two communication endpoints are installed in the same area of the vehicle, and the same area is one of the following. Vehicle left front area, vehicle right front area, vehicle left rear area, vehicle right rear area, vehicle front area, vehicle center area, vehicle rear area, vehicle left area, and vehicle right area ..

During the implementation of this embodiment of the invention, detection and detection capabilities are still available in the area so that when one link is abnormal, another link can still operate properly. This avoids the "blind" condition in which the surrounding environment cannot be detected in the area due to a gateway failure, controller failure, control endpoint failure, or connection line failure. In this way, emergency measures may be taken to safely stop the vehicle on the side of the road, or the level of self-driving is reduced to take over driving by humans. Redundancy backup is performed on two or more communication endpoints with the same or overlapping functions by using two or more links to implement a redundant connection design for the communication endpoints and drive the vehicle. Further improve the safety, reliability, and robustness of the.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, at least one communication endpoint in a plurality of communication endpoints is separately communicably connected to at least two gateway devices in a plurality of gateway devices. Alternatively, at least one communication endpoint in the plurality of communication endpoints is communicably connected to at least one gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices, and is also communicably connected to at least one control device.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the communication endpoint is connected to different gateways or is connected to the gateway and the controller by using two or more links. In this way, detection and detection capabilities are still available in the area so that when one link is abnormal, the other link can still operate properly. This avoids the "blind" condition in which the surrounding environment cannot be detected in the area due to a gateway failure, controller failure, control endpoint failure, or connection line failure. Redundancy backup is performed on a single communication endpoint by using two or more links to implement a redundant connection design for the communication endpoints, vehicle driving safety, reliability, and robustness. To further improve.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, the first gateway device uses the third communication link indicated by the local routing policy when receiving the second communication data of end-to-end communication. To route some or all of the second communication data by doing so, and by using the fourth communication link indicated by the local routing policy to route some or all of the second communication data. Further configured.

In other words, for some communication data in end-to-end communication, all of the communication data may be routed by using each of at least two communication links indicated by the local routing policy. In other words, the communication data is reproduced as transmitted by using different communication links in a multi-link transmission manner. In this way, it is possible to guarantee normal information transmission even when any of the links is defective. This guarantees relatively low communication latency.

For some communication data in end-to-end communication, the communication data may be routed separately by using at least two communication links indicated by the local routing policy. In other words, different pieces of communication data are transmitted by using different communication links in a multilink transmission manner. Specifically, selective multi-link transmission may be used, where communication data with high importance and / or high priority and / or a small amount of data is selected and two or more links are used. Is sent by. In this way, the communication load of the link is reduced while guaranteeing a relatively low communication latency.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, the control device and one gateway device in a plurality of gateway devices are combined as the same physical entity or placed in the same physical position, and the control device is. The control device is communicably connected to the gateway device through the internal line and the control device is communicably connected to another gateway device through the external line.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, there are a plurality of control devices, and each control device and different gateway devices in the plurality of gateway devices are combined as the same physical entity or have the same physical position. Each control device is communicably connected to a gateway device coupled to the control device through an internal line, and each control device is communicably connected to another gateway device through an external line.

During the implementation of the embodiments described above of the present invention, the gateway and controller may be coupled or placed in the same physical location, resulting in a reduction in the length of some physical cables. It is even possible that some cables are converted to internal cables on the circuit board. This helps reduce technical challenges and costs, and the in-vehicle communication network based on this design also guarantees communication functional security, guarantees the robustness, stability, and reliability of the in-vehicle communication network. Redundancy can be provided in terms of architecture and system design to ensure the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.

According to the first aspect, in a possible embodiment, the in-vehicle communication system is placed on the chassis of the vehicle. For example, the controller and gateway are located in the vehicle chassis to form a vehicle-mounted communication chassis. This facilitates adaptation to multiple vehicle models.

According to a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an in-vehicle communication system including a plurality of gateway devices and a plurality of communication endpoints. Each gateway device is communicably connected to at least two other gateway devices in the plurality of gateway devices, and each gateway device is communicably connected to at least one communication endpoint. N types of functional entities are distributed on at least two gateway devices in multiple gateway devices, and at least one of the N types of functional entities is each gateway in at least two gateway devices. The sum of the types of functional entities placed on the device and on at least two gateway devices covers N types of functional entities, N ≧ 2, and the plurality of gateway devices is the first. Includes gateway device. N types of functional entities are jointly configured to implement the functionality of the control device, where the functionality of the control device represents the ability to control each communication endpoint at a plurality of communication endpoints. When the first gateway device receives the first communication data of end-to-end communication, it routes the first communication data by using the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy. And when the first communication link is abnormal, it is configured to route some or all of the first communication data by using the second communication link indicated by the local routing policy.

End-to-end communication includes at least one of the following: Communication between at least two communication endpoints on multiple communication endpoints, communication between at least two gateway devices on multiple gateway devices, any communication endpoint on multiple communication endpoints and at least two gateway devices. Communication with any functional entity, and communication between any gateway device in multiple gateway devices and any functional entity of at least two gateway devices.

When a functional entity is in software form (eg, a functional module), for example, the software code may be configured within a gateway chip. When a functional entity is in hardware form, for example, this hardware entity may be coupled to a gateway chip / circuit.

In an in-vehicle communication network based on this design, it can be seen that the gateway and some functional modules of the controller are coupled together or placed in the same physical location. This helps reduce differences between gateways, increase controller reuse, and improve vehicle communication security, robustness, stability, and reliability. In-vehicle communication networks can also provide redundancy in terms of architecture and system design. In addition to providing network transmission capability, the in-vehicle communication network should properly activate the controller's logical functions when the gateway is abnormal when the communication endpoint, gateway, interface, or link is abnormal. As a result, the security of the communication function is further guaranteed, and the safety of the vehicle, especially the self-driving vehicle, is further improved.

According to the second aspect, in a possible embodiment, each communication endpoint comprises at least one of a sensor and an electronic control unit of an actuator.

According to the second aspect, in a possible embodiment, each gateway device in a plurality of gateway devices is connected in series to a gateway device adjacent to the gateway device to form a ring communication network. Alternatively, each gateway device is separately communicably connected to all other gateway devices to form a mesh communication network.

According to the second aspect, in a possible embodiment, the local routing policy of the first gateway device is determined based on the network topology of the in-vehicle communication system and the route target of end-to-end communication.

According to the second aspect, in a possible embodiment, the abnormality of the first communication link specifically includes at least one of the following: The first communication link fails, the first communication link becomes congested, and some functions of the first communication link fail.

According to the second aspect, in a possible embodiment, at least two communication endpoints in a plurality of communication endpoints have the same function or overlapping functions, where at least two communication endpoints are different. Separately communicable to the gateway device, or at least one communication endpoint at at least two communication endpoints communicable to at least one gateway device at multiple gateway devices, at least two communications Another communication endpoint at the endpoint is communicably connected to at least one control device.

Alternatively, at least one communication endpoint in the plurality of communication endpoints is separately communicable to at least two gateway devices in the plurality of gateway devices, or at least one communication endpoint in the plurality of communication endpoints. Is communicably connected to at least one gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices and is also communicably connected to at least one control device.

It should be noted that with respect to the particular content of the possible embodiments of the second aspect, references are made to the relevant description of the in-vehicle communication system described in the first aspect. Details are not described again herein.

According to a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an in-vehicle communication method. The method applies to the in-vehicle communication system described in the first aspect. The method includes: The first device receives the first communication data of end-to-end communication, the first device detects whether the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy is abnormal, and the first. When detecting that the communication link is normal, the first device routes the first communication data by using the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy, or the first. When detecting that the communication link is abnormal, the first device routes some or all of the first communication data by using the second communication link indicated by the local routing policy.

The first device is any gateway device in a plurality of gateway devices, or any control device in at least one control device.

End-to-end communication includes at least one of the following: Communication between at least two communication endpoints on multiple communication endpoints, communication between at least two gateway devices on multiple gateway devices, between any communication endpoint and control device on multiple communication endpoints. Communication, and communication between any gateway device and control device in multiple gateway devices.

According to a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide another in-vehicle communication method. The method applies to the in-vehicle communication system described in the second aspect. The method includes: The first device receives the first communication data of end-to-end communication, the first device detects whether the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy is abnormal, and the first. When detecting that the communication link is normal, the first device routes the first communication data by using the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy, or the first. When detecting that the communication link is abnormal, the first device routes some or all of the first communication data by using the second communication link indicated by the local routing policy.

The first device is any gateway device in a plurality of gateway devices, or any control device in at least one control device.

End-to-end communication includes at least one of the following: Communication between at least two communication endpoints on multiple communication endpoints, communication between at least two gateway devices on multiple gateway devices, between any communication endpoint and control device on multiple communication endpoints. Communication, and communication between any gateway device and control device in multiple gateway devices.

According to a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an in-vehicle communication device. The device is specifically a first device, wherein the first device is any gateway device in a plurality of gateway devices in an in-vehicle communication system according to the first aspect, or any one in at least one control device. A control device, or any gateway device in a plurality of gateway devices in an in-vehicle communication system according to a second aspect, or any control device in at least one control device.

The device includes a memory, a communication interface, and a processor coupled to the memory and the communication interface. The memory is configured to store the instruction, the processor is configured to execute the instruction, and the communication interface is configured to communicate with another device in the in-vehicle communication system under the control of the processor. .. Specifically, the processor is configured to perform the steps in the method according to the third or fourth aspect when executing the instruction.

According to a sixth aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a non-volatile computer readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium is configured to store code that implements the method according to the third or fourth aspect. When the program code is executed by the computer, the computer is configured to implement the method described in the third or fourth aspect.

According to a seventh aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide computer program products. Computer program products include program instructions. When the computer program product is run by the computer, the computer implements the method described in the third or fourth aspect. The computer program product may be a software installation package. When the method provided in the design of the third or fourth aspect needs to be used, the computer program product is to implement the method described in the third or fourth aspect. It may be downloaded and run on your computer.

It can be understood that the in-vehicle communication network architecture provided in the present invention can provide redundancy in terms of architecture and system design. In the normal case, the device (eg, gateway or controller) in the in-vehicle communication network may select the best / shortest communication link based on the network topology to implement the communication, and as a result, with the gateway. Communication requirements for low latency transmission can be guaranteed between the controller and the gateway. When a gateway, controller, communication endpoint, interface, or connection line is abnormal, network transmission capability can be provided. This guarantees communication function security, improves the robustness, stability, and reliability of the in-vehicle communication network, and improves the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, or the solutions described in the background art, the following will describe the accompanying drawings in the embodiments or background techniques of the present invention.

It is a schematic architecture diagram of an existing in-vehicle communication system. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a controller, a gateway, and a communication endpoint according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic architecture diagram of the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the star network by embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the ring network by embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic architecture diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of this invention. It is an exemplary figure of the scenario which implements the redundancy backup of the communication endpoint by embodiment of this invention. It is an exemplary diagram of another scenario that implements the redundancy backup of the communication endpoint according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic architecture diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic architecture diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the mesh network by embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic architecture diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic architecture diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic architecture diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic architecture diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic architecture diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic architecture diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic architecture diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic flow chart of the communication method in a vehicle by embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic structural drawing of the device by embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. The terms used in embodiments of the invention are used only to clarify specific embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

Functional security is highly demanded on the vehicle when it is in high speed driving conditions. Automotive, especially connected car, smart / intelligent car, digital car, unmanned car, driverless car, pilotless car / car, and internet of vehicles (Internet) Those that support Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), such as of properties, IoV), or even autonomous vehicles (AV), will be transformed from manual driving to autonomous driving and will function on the in-vehicle network. High security is required. Especially in the case of self-driving vehicles, the in-vehicle communication network needs to meet the highest ASIL-D standard specified in ISO 26262 because of the importance of the electric / electronic control unit. Functional security design needs to be considered at the R & D concept and system design stages.

Existing in-vehicle communication networks typically have a distributed network architecture based on ECU control buses as the primary connection technique. FIG. 1 shows a design solution for an existing in-vehicle communication network. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle is divided into at least five control areas (left front area, right front area, left rear area, right rear area, and center area) based on physical position. The in-vehicle communication network system corresponds to include at least five area controllers and at least five sub-controllers. Each area controller is located in a different control area of the vehicle, with surrounding area controllers (eg, area controllers in the left front area, right front area, left rear area, and right rear area) separately into controllers in the central area. Be connected. Each area controller corresponds to at least one subcontroller (not shown in FIG. 1) and is set in the control area where the corresponding area controller is installed. The sub-controller in each control area is configured to provide a detection signal to the area controller in the control area and to control different types of actuators in the control area based on the area control signal.

However, in theory, electronic components such as controller chips, cables, interfaces, and connectors can hit or fail, or different types of electronic components can be impacted, loosened, cut, or damaged. Or some electronic components may be defective or damaged after a car collision. These possibilities can result in disruption of in-vehicle network communication, or damage to some vehicle functions, and can easily lead to safety issues, or even driving accidents in vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.

In order to improve the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles, embodiments of the present invention provide some new in-vehicle communication networks to help solve the technical problems mentioned above. Therefore, low latency, robust, stable, reliable communication can be guaranteed while the vehicle is driving, and driving safety in the in-vehicle communication network can be guaranteed. The in-vehicle communication network is mainly an in-vehicle wired communication network, particularly an in-vehicle communication network for a self-driving vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the embodiment of the present invention, the device in the in-vehicle communication network includes at least a plurality of communication endpoints, a plurality of gateway devices, and a control device.

(1) The communication endpoint in this specification refers to a functional device in a vehicle that has a communication function and is capable of detecting an environment or performing a specific function. The vehicle may include multiple communication endpoints, which are communicably connected to a gateway device (may be referred to as a gateway for short) or a control device (may be abbreviated as a controller). ..

The communication endpoint may be, for example, a sensor. Sensors are configured to collect relevant data about the environment. Sensors are, for example, millimeter wave radars, laser radars, ultrasonic radars, cameras, positioning systems (eg GPS or satellite positioning systems), inertial sensors, speed sensors, acceleration sensors, humidity sensors, light intensity sensors in vehicles. It's okay. The particular type and quantity of sensors is not limited in the present invention.

The communication endpoint may be, for example, an electric control unit (ECU) of an actuator in a vehicle. An ECU is an electronic unit, typically in a vehicle, that has computational and control functions, controls one or more functions, and sends information or commands to an actuator or another controlled component. The ECU may be, for example, an ECU of a servomotor, an ECU of a hydraulic device, or an ECU of a dedicated system. The dedicated system is, for example, an anti-lock braking system (ABS) or an electronic stabilization program (ESP). The various ECUs are hereafter referred to as actuators for short, and the particular type and quantity of actuators are not limited in this invention.

(2) The gateway device in this specification is abbreviated as a gateway. The gateway is responsible for the route switching function of communication data for end-to-end communication in the in-vehicle communication network. The gateway may be, for example, a switch or a router. There are multiple gateways, which may be located at different locations in the vehicle. In this embodiment of the invention, the gateways may be arranged independently or integrated with the controller and arranged together.

End-to-end communication includes at least one of the following: That is, communication between at least two communication endpoints in a plurality of communication endpoints, communication between at least two gateway devices in a plurality of gateway devices, communication between any communication endpoint and a control device in a plurality of communication endpoints. Communication between, and communication between any gateway device and control device in multiple gateway devices.

(3) The control device in this specification may be abbreviated as a controller. The controller may include one or more central processing units (Central Processing Units, CPUs). The CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU. The controller may be, for example, an in-vehicle computing platform, an in-vehicle computer, a domain controller, or a multi-domain controller (eg, a self-driving controller or an information entertainment controller). The controller is responsible for data calculation, fusion, storage, decision making, and the like of vehicle-related functions. The controller may be configured to control each communication endpoint. Control receives and processes probe data from some sensors, receives and processes probe data from some actuators, controls some actuators according to control instructions, and how many according to control instructions. It may be expressed as controlling the sensor. In self-driving, functions such as intelligent driving of the vehicle, intelligent cockpit, and vehicle control may be implemented. In this embodiment of the invention, the controllers may be placed independently, integrated with the gateway and placed together, or placed on different gateways in a distributed fashion.

In certain application scenarios, the communication endpoint, gateway, or controller may be abnormal (eg, failed or defective) and the connection line, cable, or interface on the communication link is abnormal (eg, failed, defective, congested,). Or it can be understood that it may be a disconnection). As shown in FIG. 2, the connection between the sensor / actuator and the gateway, the connection between the sensor / actuator and the controller, the connection between the gateway 1 and the gateway 2, or the connection between the gateway 1 and the controller. The connection may be abnormal, the gateway 1 and gateway 2 may be defective, one or more sensors or actuators may be defective, and even the chip of the controller may be abnormal. These exceptions can be brought about for a variety of reasons, such as aging devices / lines / interfaces, complex communication scenarios that can lead to line congestion, and collisions / while the vehicle is in motion. Impact can result in loosening / falling / damage / cutting of electronic components.

The following describes in detail certain designs of some in-vehicle communication systems provided in embodiments of the present invention.

First, FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle communication system may be placed in the vehicle chassis (eg, controllers and gateways are placed in the vehicle chassis to facilitate adaptation to multiple vehicle models to form an in-vehicle communication chassis). .. The in-vehicle communication system includes at least one control device (one control device is used as an example in FIG. 3) and a plurality of gateways (in FIG. 3, gateway 1, gateway 2, gateway 3, and gateway 4). Is used as an example) and includes multiple communication endpoints. Each gateway device may be communicably connected to one or more communication endpoints and the control device may be communicably connected to one or more communication endpoints. It should be noted that FIG. 3 only shows an example of a plurality of sensors and a plurality of actuators connected to the gateway 1 and the gateway 2. The quantity, type, and placement position of sensors / actuators connected to each gateway and each controller is not limited in the present invention. In addition, the "multiple gateways" referred to herein may be all gateways actually deployed in the vehicle, or some of all gateways actually deployed in the vehicle. May be.

Each gateway is communicably connected to the controller, and each gateway is connected to the controller to form a star network. As shown in FIG. 4a, the gateway 1, gateway 2, gateway 3, and gateway 4 are separately connected to the controller to form a star communication network (abbreviated as star network). In the normal case (with no exceptions), the connection between each gateway and the controller (star network) is primarily used for data communication between the gateway and the controller. Communication data between the gateway and the controller may be sent by sensors or actuators that access the gateway in a convergent manner, or may be service or control data generated by the gateway, or sensors, actuators, or It may be service or control data generated by the controller for the gateway, or it may be of end-to-end communication and may be any communication data transferred by a secondary communication link.

Each gateway is also connected to two adjacent gateways to form a ring network. As shown in FIG. 4b, the gateway 1, the gateway 2, the gateway 3, and the gateway 4 are connected in a head-to-tail manner to form a ring communication network (abbreviated as a ring network). In the normal case, the connection between gateways (ring network) is mainly used for data communication between different gateways. Communication data between gateways may be sent by sensors or actuators that access the gateway in a convergent manner, or may be service or control data generated by the gateway, or may be end-to-end communication. , Can be any communication data transferred by a secondary communication link.

The communication connection between the communication endpoint (sensor / actuator) and the gateway may be a wired or wireless connection, and the communication connection between the communication endpoint (sensor / actuator) and the controller may be a wired or wireless connection. The communication connection between the gateways may be a wired connection, the communication connection between the gateway and the controller may be a wired connection, and the wired connection may be, for example, a cable connection or a bus connection. For example, in FIG. 3, link 5, link 6, link 7, and link 8 represent a wired connection between gateways, respectively, and link 1, link 2, link 3, and link 4 represent a gateway and a controller, respectively. Represents a wired connection between.

For example, in a normal case, a self-driving sensor (eg, a camera) in multiple communication endpoints connected to gateway 1 may generate image and / or point cloud data and / or object data. The image and / or point group data and / or object data is aggregated in gateway 1, which then connects the image and / or point group data and / or object data to the connection (link) between the gateway 1 and the controller. Send to the controller by using 1). The controller may return control information. Control information is sent to the camera by using the connection between the gateway 1 and the controller (link 1) and the connection between the gateway 1 and the camera to adjust the operating parameters of the camera.

In another example, in the normal case, the controller is assumed to be a self-driving controller, which sends a braking command to the brake control ECUs in the plurality of communication endpoints connected to the gateway 1. The braking command is sent to the brake control ECU through the gateway 1 by using the connection (link 1) between the controller and the gateway 1.

In another example, in the normal case, there are accelerometers in multiple communication endpoints connected to gateway 1, and for vehicle stabilization systems in multiple communication endpoints connected to gateway 4. There is a dedicated ECU. Dedicated ECUs for vehicle stabilization systems require information about accelerometers. Information about the accelerometer is sent to gateway 1, then to gateway 4 by using the connection (link 8) between gateway 1 and gateway 4, and finally by gateway 4 of the vehicle stabilization system. Is sent to a dedicated ECU for. The information does not need to be processed by the controller and the communication is completed through the transfer by the gateway 1 and the gateway 4.

In another example, in the normal case, the target recognition and collision prevention emergency brake ECU of the main radar sensor and the main radar sensor in the plurality of communication endpoints connected to the gateway 2 sends an emergency braking control message to the gateway. It is necessary to send to the brake control ECU in the plurality of communication endpoints connected to 4. The emergency braking control message is sent to gateway 2, then to gateway 3 by using the connection between gateway 2 and gateway 3 (link 6), and then the connection between gateway 3 and gateway 4 (link 6). It is sent to the gateway 4 by using the link 7), and finally sent to the brake control ECU by the gateway 4. This message also does not need to be processed by the controller and the communication may be completed through forwarding by gateway 2, gateway 3, and gateway 4.

In this embodiment of the invention, when any connection line, cable, or interface in the communication link is abnormal, for example, the connection between the gateways is invalid, defective, congested, or When disconnected, or when the connection between the gateway and the controller is invalid, defective, congested, or disconnected, the star and ring networks jointly perform redundant transmissions. obtain.

When any connection in the star network is abnormal, the gateway may modify the communication link used to route the communication data and route the communication data through the ring network according to the local routing policy.

For example, for some communication data, the communication link of the communication data is "gateway 1-controller". When the link 1 is abnormal, the gateway 1 may detect the failure of the link 1 according to the detection method for, for example, a physical layer, a MAC layer, or a component failure. The gateway 1 then changes the communication link to "Gateway 1-Gateway 2-Controller" according to the local routing policy. In this way, the communication data of the gateway 1 can be sent to the controller by using the link 5 and the link 2. Alternatively, the gateway 1 changes the communication link to "gateway 1-gateway 4-controller" so that the communication data of the gateway 1 can be sent to the controller by using the link 8 and the link 4.

When any connection in the ring network is abnormal, the gateway may change the communication link used to route the communication data and route the communication data through the star network or the ring network according to the local routing policy.

For example, for some communication data, the communication link of the communication data is "gateway 1-gateway 2". When the link 5 is abnormal, the gateway 1 may detect the failure of the link 5 according to the detection method for, for example, a physical layer, a MAC layer, or a component failure. The gateway 1 then changes the communication link to "Gateway 1-Controller-Gateway 2" according to the local routing policy. In this way, the communication data of the gateway 1 can be sent to the gateway 2 by using the link 1 and the link 2.

In another example, for some communication data, the communication link of the communication data is "gateway 1-gateway 2-gateway 3". When the link 5 is abnormal, the gateway 1 may detect the failure of the link 5 according to the detection method for, for example, a physical layer, a MAC layer, or a component failure. The gateway 1 then changes the communication link to "Gateway 1-Gateway 4-Gateway 3" according to the local routing policy. In this way, the communication data of the gateway 1 can be sent to the gateway 3 by using the link 8 and the link 7. Alternatively, the communication link is changed to "Gateway 1-Controller-Gateway 3" so that the communication data of the gateway 1 can be sent to the gateway 3 by using the link 1 and the link 3.

It can be seen that the in-vehicle communication network architecture provided in the present invention can provide redundancy in terms of architecture and system design. In the normal case, a device in the in-vehicle communication network (eg, a gateway or controller) can select the best / shortest communication link based on the network topology for performing the communication, and as a result. Communication requirements for low latency transmission between gateways and controllers and between gateways can be guaranteed. In addition, when a gateway, interface, or link is abnormal, network transmission capabilities can still be provided, and redundant transmission is performed through both star and ring networks. This guarantees communication function security, improves the robustness, stability, and reliability of the in-vehicle communication network, and improves the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.

Further, in this embodiment of the invention, when any connection line, cable, or interface in the communication link is abnormal, the gateway may, for some communication data, service priority, service importance, and so on. And based on factors such as the impact on security, the transmission policy may be changed to transmit only some information in the communication data. In other words, a star network or ring network is used to route some of the communication data.

For example, when the link 1 is abnormal, the gateway 1 needs to perform forwarding by using the gateway 2 or the gateway 4, and the link connected to the gateway 2 or the gateway 4, so that the gateway 2 or the gateway 4 And the load of the link connected to the gateway 2 or gateway 4 may exceed the designed load. In this case, some of the communication data may be transmitted through redundancy within the star and ring networks. For example, the camera generates image data (raw data) and object data (Obj information), and transmits the image data and the object data to the gateway 1. Image data and object data need to be sent to the controller. When it detects that the link 1 is abnormal, the gateway 1 may change the communication link and send only the Obj information to the controller.

While implementing this embodiment, the communication load of gateways and links within the new communication link can be reduced and the vehicle will have emergency handling, shoulder stop, based on important information (eg Obj information). And it is possible to perform subsequent actions, such as turning on the emergency flasher to issue an alarm, which further guarantees the safety, reliability, and robustness of vehicle driving. Can be done.

In addition, as mentioned above, when a gateway, interface, or link is abnormal, the gateway must detect the anomaly, modify the communication link according to the local routing policy, and / or send only part of the communication data. do. These processing processes can cause latency. In this embodiment of the invention, the following methods may be used to reduce or eliminate latency.

For some communication data in end-to-end communication, all of the communication data is routed by using each of at least two communication links indicated by the local routing policy. In other words, the communication data is replicated to be transmitted by using different communication links in the multi-link transmission scheme.

For example, the camera is connected to gateway 1, and the destination device for the communication data of the camera is a controller. After receiving the communication data from the camera, the gateway 1 may make two copies of the communication data. One copy is sent directly to the controller by using link 1. The other copy is transferred to the controller by using gateway 2. In this way, information can be transmitted successfully when any link is defective, thus guaranteeing relatively low communication latency.

In addition, the gateway performs selective multi-link transmission, selecting communication data with high importance and / or high priority and / or small amount, and transmitting the communication data by using two or more links. obtain. In this way, the communication load on the link is reduced, while relatively low communication latency is guaranteed.

For example, if the camera produces image data (raw data) and object data (Obj information), the raw data may be transmitted by using a single link, and the Obj information may have more than one link. Can be transmitted by use. In another example, common control information may be transmitted by using a single link and controller control information may be transmitted by using multiple links.

Further, as mentioned above, when some functions of the gateway fail, the switching capacity of the gateway may be reduced, the switching capacity of the gateway may be reduced, or the traffic capacity of the line port may be reduced. In this case, the gateway may change the communication link, send data of high priority or high importance, or send data in a manner of data partitioning.

Specifically, the communication data can be divided into two or more parts of the data. The parts of the data in the communication data can be routed separately by using two or more communication links indicated by the local routing policy. In this way, the communication load on the link is reduced, while relatively low communication latency is guaranteed.

For example, if the camera produces image data (raw data) and object data (Obj information), the raw data may be transmitted by using one link and the Obj information may use another link. Can be sent by. In another example, common control information may be transmitted by using a single link and controller control information may be transmitted by using multiple links.

Based on the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. 3, redundant connections between communication endpoints may be further implemented. FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The main difference from the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. 3 is that the communication endpoints used for detection related to self-driving in some areas of the vehicle are grouped and different groups connect to different gateways. To be done. Detection and detection capabilities are still available in this area, as if one of the gateways fails, the other gateway can still operate properly. This avoids a "blind" situation in which the surrounding environment cannot be detected in the area due to a gateway failure. In this way, emergency measures can be taken to safely stop the vehicle on the shoulder, or the level of self-driving is reduced to take over driving by a person. Alternatively, one group may be connected to the gateway and another group may be connected to the controller. When the link connected to the controller is abnormal, the gateway connection can still make detection and detection capabilities available.

Each group contains at least one communication endpoint. For at least two groups that are used together as redundant connections, the overall functionality of at least the two groups is the same, similar, or overlapping. When each of the at least two groups has only one communication endpoint, in other words, when at least two communication endpoints have the same, similar or overlapping functions, the at least two communication endpoints are different gateway devices. It can be understood that they are separately communicable and connected.

The same or duplicate features are the specific features of one or more communication endpoints in one group, wholly or partially by the features of one or more communication endpoints in another group. Means that it can be replaced with. For example, if two cameras of the same model cover the same area, the two cameras can be considered to have the same image sensing capabilities. Alternatively, if cameras of different precision cover the same area, the cameras can be considered to have overlapping functions. Alternatively, if the camera and laser radar cover the same range but have different image types, the camera can be considered to have overlapping functions.

At least two groups that are used mutually as redundant connections can be located in the same area within the vehicle. The same area is, for example, the left front area of the vehicle, the right front area of the vehicle, the left rear area of the vehicle, the right rear area of the vehicle, the front area of the vehicle, or the center area of the vehicle, the rear area of the vehicle, the vehicle. It is one of the left area or the right area of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the vehicle area can be divided into a front / rear / left / right / center, front / center / rear, left / center / right, front / rear, or left / right scheme. It should be noted that. This is not limited in the present invention.

For example, multiple ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) sensors are located in the right front area of the vehicle, because these ADAS sensors have the same or similar detection range and these sensors are different. This is because they are grouped into groups and connected separately to different gateways (eg, gateway 1 and gateway 2). Similarly, different cameras, such as multiple cameras, multiple millimeter-wave radars, multiple laser radars, and multiple ultrasonic radars, so that different gateways can be connected when sensors are placed in the area. Different millimeter wave radars, different laser radars, different ultrasonic radars, etc. may be grouped into different groups. Similarly, multiple actuators with the same or similar function may be grouped into different groups so that they are connected to different gateways.

The grouping scale may be as follows. That is, some groups each contain at least one sensor, and / or some groups each contain at least one actuator, and / or some groups each contain at least one sensor and at least one actuator. including.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the front right area of the vehicle contains two pairs of groups that are used together as a redundant connection. One pair is S group 1 and S group 2. S group 1 and S group 2 each include at least one sensor, and S group 1 and S group 2 are connected to gateway 1 and gateway 2, respectively. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the S group 1 may include sensors such as a camera 1 and a vehicle-mounted radar 1, each sensor being connected to a gateway 1. The S group 2 may include sensors such as a camera 2 and a vehicle-mounted radar 2, and each sensor is connected to a gateway 2. The other pair is Group A 1 and Group A 2. Group A 1 and Group A 2 each include at least one actuator, and Group A 1 and Group A 2 are connected to gateway 1 and gateway 2, respectively.

The grouping principle can be: That is, based on the detection range and / or the detection distance, and / or the sensor type, and / or the sensor application scenario, and / or the self-driving function that is performed.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, in the left front area of the vehicle, the minimum set of sensors capable of completing an automated shoulder stop is grouped into two groups, namely groups 3 and 4. Group 3 includes communication endpoint 1, communication endpoint 2, and the like, and group 4 includes communication endpoint 1, communication endpoint 2, and the like. Both Group 3 and Group 4 may be configured to perform an automatic shoulder stop function. In this case, each communication endpoint in the group 3 is connected to the gateway 1 separately, and each communication endpoint in the group 4 is connected to the gateway 2 separately.

In another example, the minimum set of sensors capable of completing a shoulder stop at night is grouped into two groups. The two groups are connected to two or more different gateways. The minimum set of sensors capable of completing a shoulder stop at night may differ from the minimum set of sensors capable of completing a shoulder stop during the day. For example, radar assistance is needed when the line of sight is obstructed at night.

In another example, two or more GPSs are placed in the vehicle as positioning inputs or ground masters, and the two or more GPSs are connected to different gateways.

It should be noted that the embodiments of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are used solely to illustrate the solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. In the present invention, they are mutually used as vehicle areas that need to be grouped, quantity of groups, grouping size, grouping principle, communication endpoints within each group, gateway locations to be connected, and redundant connections. The quantity of gateways is not limited.

According to this embodiment of the invention, electronic modules (such as sensors, actuators, combinations of sensors and actuators) that perform the same or similar functions within an area are grouped, and electronic modules within different groups are on different gateways. Be connected. Another used as a redundant connection when the entire gateway in the area is defective or failed, or when the entire group of electronic modules connected to the gateway in the area is defective or invalid, or the link is abnormal. The group can still carry out normal communication by using another gateway. This further improves the safety, reliability, and robustness of vehicle driving.

It should be noted that the in-vehicle communication network may be further improved / modified based on the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. For example, for at least two groups of redundant connections, at least one group is communicably connected to the gateway and the remaining group is communicably connected to the controller. In this way, for example, for two groups that are used mutually as redundant connections, when the connection between one group and the gateway is abnormal, the other group can use the controller. Communication between the controller and the communication endpoint may be performed. Similarly, when the connection between one group and the controller is abnormal, the other group may use the gateway to carry out communication between the gateway and the communication endpoint. For the detailed mounting process, refer to the above description of the embodiment of FIG. Details will not be mentioned here again.

Based on the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. 3, embodiments of the present invention provide yet another design for performing redundant connections between communication endpoints. FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The main difference from the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. 3 is that at least one group of communication endpoints in some areas of the vehicle are all connected to multiple gateways. In this way, if one gateway fails, another gateway can still operate properly and detection and detection capabilities are still available in this area. This avoids a "blind" situation in which the surrounding environment cannot be detected in the area due to a gateway failure.

Each group contains at least one communication endpoint, which is communicably connected to at least two gateway devices separately. Each sensor and / or each actuator in the group may be connected to different gateways and simultaneously transmit the same information by using two or more physical connections or buses. When one link fails, the information on the other link can guarantee the normal operation of the system.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the right front area of the vehicle includes A group 1, S group 1, and the like. The S group 1 includes at least one sensor, and each sensor is separately connected to the gateway 1 and the gateway 2. Group A 1 includes at least one actuator, each actuator separately connected to gateway 1 and gateway 2.

It should be noted that the embodiment of FIG. 8 is merely used to illustrate the solution in this embodiment of the invention. In the present invention, the vehicle area that needs to be grouped, the quantity of groups, the communication endpoints within each group, the location of the gateways to be connected, and the quantity of gateways that are mutually used as redundant connections are not limited.

During implementation of this embodiment of the invention, sensors / actuators are connected to different gateways by using two or more links. When the entire gateway in the area is defective or invalid, or when one of the sensors / actuators connected to the gateway in the area is abnormal, another link used as a redundant connection is another. By using the gateway, normal communication can still be carried out. This further improves the safety, reliability, and robustness of vehicle driving.

It should be noted that the in-vehicle communication network may be further improved / modified based on the in-vehicle communication network shown above. For example, for a communication endpoint in a group, the communication endpoint may be connected to the controller and at least one gateway by using two or more physical connections or buses. In this way, when the connection between the communication endpoint and the controller is abnormal, the communication endpoint may carry out communication between the gateway and the communication endpoint by using the gateway. When the connection between the communication endpoint and the gateway is abnormal, the communication endpoint may carry out communication between the controller and the communication endpoint by using the gateway.

Redundant connections between gateways can be further enhanced based on the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The main difference from the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. 3 is that in a plurality of gateways in the in-vehicle communication system, each gateway is separated so that a mesh communication network (abbreviated as mesh network) is formed. It is to be connected to the gateway of. As shown in FIG. 10, two of the gateways are connected to the gateway 1, the gateway 2, the gateway 3, and the gateway 4 to form a mesh network. More redundant connections are added in a mesh network than in a ring network.

In the normal case, the connection between gateways (ring network) is mainly used for data communication between different gateways. Communication data between gateways may be sent by sensors or actuators that access the gateway in a convergent manner, or may be service or control data generated by the gateway, or may be end-to-end communication. , Any communication data transferred by the secondary communication link may be used.

The communication connection between the gateways may be a wired connection. For example, in FIG. 9, link 5, link 6, link 7, link 8, link 9, and link 10 each represent a wired connection between gateways.

It should be noted that the in-vehicle communication network may be further improved / modified based on the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. For example, when an exception occurs, some of the communication data is sent. In another example, a redundant connection of communication endpoints is added. See the related improvements / variants above for specific implementations. Details will not be mentioned here again.

It can be understood that the in-vehicle communication network architecture provided in the present invention can provide redundancy in terms of architecture and system design. In the normal case, a device in the in-vehicle communication network (eg, a gateway or controller) can select the best / shortest communication link based on the network topology for performing the communication, and as a result. Communication requirements for low latency transmission between gateways and controllers and between gateways can be guaranteed. When the communication endpoint, gateway, interface, or link is abnormal, network transmission capability can still be provided and redundant transmission is performed jointly through the star network and mesh network. This guarantees communication function security, improves the robustness, stability, and reliability of the in-vehicle communication network, and improves the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.

The in-vehicle communication network shown in the above embodiment is mainly described by using an example including four gateways. In practical applications, the in-vehicle communication network may further include more or less gateways. FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The main difference from the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. 3 is that the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. 11 has three gateways (gateway 1, gateway 2, and gateway 3) and at least one control device (FIG. 3). In 11, one control device is used as an example). Similarly, each gateway device may be communicably connected to one or more communication endpoints and the control device may be communicably connected to one or more communication endpoints. It should be noted that FIG. 11 simply shows an example of a plurality of sensors and actuators connected to gateway 1. The quantity, type, and location of sensors / actuators connected to each gateway and each controller is not limited in the present invention.

Similarly, each gateway is communicably connected to the controller, and each gateway is connected to the controller to form a star network. In the normal case, the connection in the star network is mainly used for data communication between the gateway and the controller. Each gateway is also connected to two adjacent gateways to form a ring network (which can be thought of as a simplified mesh network). In the normal case, connections within the ring network are primarily used for data communication between different gateways.

It should be noted that the relevant functions of the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. 11 can be performed with reference to the relevant description of the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. Details will not be mentioned here again.

It should be further noted that the in-vehicle communication network may be further improved / modified based on the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. For example, when an exception occurs, some of the communication data is transmitted. In another example, a redundant connection of communication endpoints is added. See the related improvements / variants above for specific implementations. Details will not be mentioned here again.

It should be further noted that in-vehicle communication networks in this embodiment of the invention may further include more gateways. The specific implementation solution may be similar to that of the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. 3 and that of the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. For the sake of brevity herein, details are not given here.

The present invention provides an in-vehicle communication network architecture that includes three gateways, resulting in redundancy in terms of architecture and system design, and further cost reduction by reducing the number of gateways. You can know that it is possible to be done. In the normal case, a device in the in-vehicle communication network (eg, a gateway or controller) may select the best / shortest communication link based on the network topology for performing the communication, and as a result. Communication requirements for low latency transmission between gateways and controllers and between gateways can be guaranteed. When the communication endpoint, gateway, interface, or link is abnormal, network transmission capability can still be provided, and redundant transmission is performed jointly through the star network and ring network. This guarantees communication function security, improves the robustness, stability, and reliability of the in-vehicle communication network, and improves the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.

The embodiments described above have been primarily described by using an example in which the controller and gateway are arranged independently. In this embodiment of the invention, the controller and one of the plurality of gateways may be further coupled as the same physical entity or placed in the same physical location. In this way, the controller is communicably connected to the gateway through the internal line and the controller is communicably connected to another gateway through the external line. FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The main difference from the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. 3 is that the controller and gateway 1 are combined as the same physical entity or placed in the same physical position. In this case, line 4 is integrated into line 8, line 2 is integrated into line 5, and line 1 is changed to an internal connection. In a particular embodiment, the physical entity to which the controller and gateway 1 are coupled may provide a multiplexing interface to the outside world. Through the multiplexing interface, the physical entity may be connected to gateway 4 by using line 8, connected to gateway 3 by using line 3, and connected to gateway 2 by using line 5.

In the embodiment of FIG. 12, it can be understood that each gateway is also communicably connected to a controller (which can be considered a star network). In the normal case, the connection in the star network is mainly used for data communication between the gateway and the controller. Each gateway is also connected to two adjacent gateways (which can be considered a ring network). In the normal case, connections in ring networks are primarily used for data communication between different gateways.

It should be noted that the implementation solution of the in-vehicle communication system shown in the embodiment of FIG. 12 can be implemented with respect to the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. For the sake of brevity herein, details are not described again herein.

It should be further noted that the in-vehicle communication network can also be further improved / modified based on the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. For example, when an exception occurs, some of the communication data is sent. In another example, redundant connections for communication endpoints are added. In another example, a mesh network is formed between the gateways (eg, a connection between gateway 2 and gateway 4 is added, and for a particular implementation solution, see the description of embodiments in FIG. sea bream). See above description of related improvements / variants for specific implementations. Details are not described again herein.

It should be further noted that the embodiment of FIG. 12 is only used to illustrate the solution of the present application and is not limited thereto. The gateway coupled to the controller or the gateway located at the same physical position as the controller is not limited to the gateway 1, and may be another gateway. The in-vehicle communication network according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include more or less gateways. For example, an in-vehicle communication network may be implemented with respect to the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. For the sake of brevity herein, no details are given herein.

In the present invention, it can be understood that the gateway and the controller are combined or placed in the same physical position. This reduces the length of some physical cables, and some cables can even be converted to internal cables on the circuit board, which helps reduce technical challenges and costs. In-vehicle communication networks based on this design can also provide redundancy in terms of architecture and system design. In the normal case, the device (eg, gateway or controller) in the in-vehicle communication network may select the best / shortest communication link based on the network topology to implement the communication, and as a result, with the gateway. Communication requirements for low latency transmission can be guaranteed between the controller and the gateway. When the communication endpoint, gateway, interface, or link is abnormal, network transmission capability can still be provided, and redundant transmission is jointly implemented through the star network and the ring network. This guarantees communication function security, improves the robustness, stability, and reliability of the in-vehicle communication network, and improves the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.

Based on the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. 12, the redundancy backup of the controller can be further enhanced. FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The main difference from the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. 12 is that there are multiple controllers, and each controller and different gateway devices at multiple gateways are combined as the same physical entity or in the same physical location. Is to be placed in. Each controller is communicably connected to a gateway coupled to the controller through an internal line, and each controller is communicably connected to another gateway through an external line. As shown in FIG. 13, two controllers are primarily used as an example to illustrate the solution. The two controllers can be classified, for example, into a primary controller and a secondary controller. The primary controller and gateway 1 are combined with the same physical entity or placed in the same physical position. The secondary controller and gateway 2 are combined as the same physical entity or placed in the same physical position. The primary / secondary controller may be a backup of the same capacity, or the capacity of the secondary controller may be weaker than that of the primary controller, thereby further reducing costs.

It can be understood that in-vehicle communication networks based on this design can also provide redundancy in terms of architecture and system design. In addition to providing network transmission capabilities when the communication endpoint, gateway, interface, or link is abnormal, the in-vehicle communication network also has a primary controller malfunction (failure, failure, or capacity degradation). When the secondary controller replaces the primary controller, ensuring that some or all of the control functions (eg, important functions such as deceleration warnings and roadside stops, or features related to driving safety) are completed. can do. This further guarantees communication function security, improves the robustness, stability, and reliability of the in-vehicle communication network, and further improves the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.

The embodiments described above use an example in which the functionality of the controller is centralized (for example, the controllers are arranged independently or the controller and the gateway are combined to form a physical entity). Mainly explained by. In practice, embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. In a possible implementation of the invention, the functionality of the controller may be subdivided into N types of functional entities in which the functionality is relatively independent, where N ≧ 2. In this way, N types of functional entities are used jointly to implement the functionality of the control device, and the functionality of the control device is one or more communication endpoints at multiple communication endpoints. It can represent a function to control. N types of functional entities are distributed on at least two gateways in multiple gateways, and at least one of the N types of functional entities is on each gateway of at least two gateways. The sum of the types of functional entities placed in and on at least two gateway devices covers N types of functional entities. When a functional entity is in software form (eg, a functional module), for example, this software code may be configured within a gateway chip. When a functional entity is in hardware form, for example, this hardware entity may be coupled to a gateway chip / circuit.

Similarly, when one or more gateway devices in the system receive communication data for end-to-end communication, they route the communication data by using the communication link indicated by the local routing policy, and the communication link is abnormal. If it is detected, the communication link may be modified to route some or all of the communication data. End-to-end communication includes at least one of the following: Communication between at least two communication endpoints on multiple communication endpoints, communication between at least two gateways on multiple gateways, any communication endpoint on multiple communication endpoints and any function of at least three gateways. Communication with an entity, and communication between any gateway in multiple gateways and any functional entity of at least three gateways.

For example, FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. An architecture containing four gateways is used as an example. In implementation, for example, the controller may be divided into four functional modules: fusion, decision, control, and storage. Any two of these four entities may be placed separately in the same physical location as gateway 1, gateway 2, gateway 3, and gateway 4, or separately as physical entities gateway 1, gateway 2, gateway 3, And coupled with gateway 4. In particular, for example, the fusion module and the decision module are located in the same physical location or are coupled to gateway 1 as the same physical entity. The storage module and control module are located in the same physical location or are coupled to gateway 2 as the same physical entity. The fusion module and the decision module are located in the same physical position or are coupled to the gateway 3 as the same physical entity. The storage module and the control module are located in the same physical position or are coupled to the gateway 4 as the same physical entity.

In this way, gateway 1 and gateway 4, gateway 2 and gateway 3, gateway 1 and gateway 2, and gateway 4 and gateway 3 form four groups of controller redundancy. In other words, all the functionality of the controller can be implemented by using gateway 1 and gateway 4, and all the functionality of the controller may be implemented by using gateway 2 and gateway 3. , All functionality of the controller may be implemented by using gateway 2 and gateway 1, or all functionality of the controller may be implemented by using gateway 4 and gateway 3. In other words, when any one of gateway 1, gateway 2, gateway 3, and gateway 4 is abnormal, two gateways with different functions are abnormal, or the related lines are abnormal, the controller The logic function is still complete and the vehicle can be controlled. This greatly improves the security, robustness, stability, and reliability of vehicle communications.

In another example, FIG. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. An architecture containing four gateways is used as an example. In implementation, for example, the controller may be divided into three functional modules: intelligent driving, intelligent cockpit, and vehicle control. Intelligent driving is primarily responsible for processing data related to vehicle self-driving, such as multi-link image fusion, target identification and extraction, driving planning, and decision making. The intelligent cockpit is primarily responsible for audiovisual entertainment in vehicles. Vehicle control is mainly responsible for overall control of the vehicle body, for example, four-wheel equilibrium and engine rotation speed control. One or two of the above functional modules are located on each gateway, so that each module is located on at least two gateways to ensure that functional redundancy is provided. For example, the intelligent driving function is arranged on the gateway 1, the intelligent cockpit and the vehicle control function are arranged on the gateway 2, the intelligent driving function and the intelligent cockpit function are arranged on the gateway 3, and the vehicle control function is arranged. It is arranged on the gateway 4. In this way, when either gateway is bad or the lines involved are abnormal, the logical function of the controller is still complete and the vehicle can be controlled. This greatly improves the security, robustness, stability, and reliability of vehicle communications.

In another example, FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the embodiment shown in FIG. 15 is that in the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. 16, the redundancy backup is how many of the N functional entities obtained by splitting the controller. It is to be implemented only for the sake of. As shown in FIG. 16, for example, the controller may be divided into three functional modules: intelligent driving, intelligent cockpit, and vehicle control. The intelligent driving function is arranged on the gateway 1, the intelligent cockpit and the vehicle control function are arranged on the gateway 2, the intelligent driving function is arranged on the gateway 3, and the vehicle control function is arranged on the gateway 4. The gateway. In other words, redundancy backup is performed for intelligent driving and vehicle control, but redundancy backup is not performed for the intelligent cockpit. In this way, the intelligent driving logic function of the controller is still complete when any gateway placed with intelligent driving is bad or the lines involved are abnormal. Alternatively, when any gateway placed with vehicle control is abnormal, or the lines involved are abnormal, the vehicle control logic function of the controller is still complete and, as a result, vehicle control may be implemented. It is possible, and the security, robustness, stability, and reliability of vehicle communications are greatly improved. In addition, redundancy backup is not performed for less important functional modules. This helps reduce system resource overhead.

The embodiments of FIGS. 14 to 16 are only used to illustrate the solution of the present application, the amount of functional entities acquired through the split, the split criteria, and the specific gateways deployed with each functional entity. , And it should be noted that it is not intended to limit the amount of functional entities placed on each gateway.

It should be further noted that the in-vehicle communication network can also be further improved / modified based on the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIGS. 14-16. For example, when an exception occurs, some of the communication data is sent. In another example, redundant connections for communication endpoints are added. See the relevant improvements / changes above for specific implementations. Details are not described again herein.

In an in-vehicle communication network based on this design, it can be seen that the gateway and some functional modules of the controller are coupled together or located in the same physical location. This helps reduce differences between gateways, increase controller reuse, and improve vehicle communication security, robustness, stability, and reliability. In-vehicle communication networks can also provide redundancy in terms of architecture and system design. In addition to providing network transmission capability, the in-vehicle communication network should properly activate the controller's logical functions when the gateway is abnormal when the communication endpoint, gateway, interface, or link is abnormal. As a result, the security of the communication function is further guaranteed, and the safety of the vehicle, especially the self-driving vehicle, is further improved.

The technical solution of the in-vehicle communication network shown in the above embodiments in FIGS. 14 to 16 has been mainly described by using an example in which four gateways are included. In a practical application, the in-vehicle communication network may further include more or less gateways. FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of another in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The main difference from the in-vehicle communication system shown in the embodiment of FIG. 15 is that the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. 17 includes three gateways (gateway 1, gateway 2, and gateway 3). There is something in it. Similarly, for example, the controller may be subdivided into three functional modules: intelligent driving, intelligent cockpit, and vehicle control. One or two of the above functional modules are located on each gateway, thereby ensuring that each module is located on at least two gateways to provide functional redundancy. For example, the intelligent driving function and the intelligent cockpit function are arranged on the gateway 1, the intelligent cockpit function and the vehicle control function are arranged on the gateway 2, and the intelligent driving function and the vehicle control function are arranged on the gateway 3. ..

It should be noted that the relevant functions of the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. 17 can be implemented with respect to the relevant description of the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIGS. 14-16. Details are not described again herein. Based on the in-vehicle communication network shown in FIG. 17, the in-vehicle communication network can also be further improved / modified. For example, when an exception occurs, some of the communication data is sent. In another example, redundant connections for communication endpoints are added. See the relevant improvements / changes above for specific implementations. Details are not described again herein.

It should be further noted that the in-vehicle communication network according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include more gateways. For the sake of brevity herein, no details are given herein.

The present invention includes three gateways so that redundancy can be provided in terms of architecture and system design and costs can be further reduced by reducing the amount of gateways. You can find out that it provides an in-vehicle communication network architecture. The gateway and some functional modules of the controller are coupled to each other or located in the same physical location. This helps reduce differences between gateways, increase controller reuse, and improve vehicle communication security, robustness, stability, and reliability.

Based on the above description, the in-vehicle communication method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be further described below. FIG. 18 is a schematic flow chart of an in-vehicle communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method is carried out by a first device, which can be one or more gateways in an in-vehicle communication network, or can be a controller. The in-vehicle communication network may be the in-vehicle communication network described in any one of the above embodiments, and the method is not limited, but includes the following steps.

Step S101: The first device receives the first communication data of end-to-end communication.

In some embodiments, the in-vehicle communication network is the in-vehicle communication network described in any one of the above embodiments of FIGS. 3 to 13 (in other words, the functions of the controllers are integrated with each other. ), The first device is any gateway device in a plurality of gateway devices, or any control device in at least one control device. End-to-end communication includes at least one of the following: Communication between at least two communication endpoints on multiple communication endpoints, communication between at least two gateway devices on multiple gateway devices, between any communication endpoint and control device on multiple communication endpoints. Communication, and communication between any gateway device and control device in multiple gateway devices.

In some other embodiments, the in-vehicle communication network is the in-vehicle communication network described in any one of the above embodiments of FIGS. 14-17 (in other words, the functionality of the controller is different). When distributed across gateways), end-to-end communication includes at least one of the following: Communication between at least two communication endpoints on multiple communication endpoints, communication between at least two gateway devices on multiple gateway devices, any communication endpoint on multiple communication endpoints and at least three gateway devices. Communication with any functional entity, and communication between any gateway device in multiple gateway devices and any functional entity in at least three gateway devices.

Step S102: The first device detects whether the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy is abnormal.

The local routing policy is determined by the network topology of the in-vehicle communication network provided in the embodiment of the present invention. The local routing policy may include outbound policies for multiple communication links and may be, for example, a routing forwarding table (or called a routing table). For several different communication data, a plurality of communication links corresponding to each type of communication data are determined and based on the priority, for example, the first communication link, the second communication link, and the third communication link. It will be sorted. Each communication link can successfully route communication data.

The network topology is the main factor in determining the routing table. The gateway 1 in the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. 3 is used as an example. If data needs to be transmitted to gateway 4, there may be at least three communication links: (1) Gateway 1-Gateway 4, in other words, communication data is transmitted by using a directly connected link between Gateway 1 and Gateway 4, (2) Gateway 1-Controller-Gateway 4, In other words, the communication data is transferred by using the controller, and (3) the gateway 1-gateway 2-gateway 3-gateway 4, in other words, the communication data by using the gateway 2 and the gateway 3. It will be relayed.

"Gateway 1-Gateway 4" may be configured as the optimal communication link when some hops and latencies of the link are taken into account. Therefore, a routing table with a route to the gateway 4 may be formed in the gateway 1, where the communication link (1) is the first selection and the communication link (2) is the second selection. The communication link (3) is the third selection. Of course, other factors such as the load on each link and the remaining bandwidth may also be considered to determine the priority of the link in the routing table. In addition to the network topology, service priority and target gateway also influence the choice of links in the routing table. For example, in some non-emergency services that do not need to be processed by the controller, the communication link (3) may be a better choice for transmission when the communication link (1) is bad. The communication link (2) has a shorter latency, but the communication link (2) occupies the bandwidth of the emergency service transmitted to the controller and increases the load on the controller. As a result, overloading can occur and some advanced features such as self-driving can be affected.

In a particular implementation, the local routing policy may be acquired by the first device by performing stored storage based on the historical routing experience, or may be preconfigured in the first device. In other words, the routing table of communication data between the gateway and the controller, the communication link priority, etc., can be automatically generated by the device according to standard protocols, or can be obtained through preconfiguration.

For the same routing link, service transmissions may be coordinated according to local routing policies. For example, the communication data transmitted by the gateway 1 to the controller includes raw image data raw data from the camera and object data objects. When gateway 1 detects that the link between gateway 1 and the controller is congested or partially defective, gateway 1 sends the object directly to the controller according to the local routing policy and gateway 2 or By using the gateway 4, the raw data can be transferred to the controller or the raw data can be discarded directly.

To increase data transmission redundancy, local routing policies can be configured as multi-link concurrency. For example, gateway 1 sends two copies of the same object to the controller, one copy is sent by using a directly connected link and the other copy is forwarded by using gateway 2. .. In this way, the controller can receive the object as long as the reception of two copies of the object does not fail. For raw data, only one copy is constructed, for example, raw data is sent by using a link directly connected to the controller. Of course, when one copy is sent, data partitioning may be performed by using a multi-hop route. For example, raw data is divided into two parts, one part is sent by using a link directly connected to the controller and the other part is forwarded by using gateway 4.

Local routing policies may be preconfigured on gateways and controllers. In addition to the static configuration described above, local routing policies can also be configured to be dynamic. For example, a particular local routing policy can be triggered when certain conditions are met. For example, in the gateway 1, the conditions for carrying out traffic distribution transmission for raw data are set as follows. When the directly connected link between gateway 1 and the controller occupies 75% of the bandwidth, some of the raw data is transferred by using gateway 4.

In various application scenarios, electronic components such as controller chips, cables, interfaces, and connectors may hit or fail, or various electronic components may be impacted, loosened, disconnected, or damaged. Yes, or some electronic components may be defective or damaged after a car collision. These possibilities can result in disruption of in-vehicle network communication or damage to some vehicle functions. When an exception occurs, the first device may detect the exception of the first communication link according to the detection method, for example, for a physical layer, a MAC layer, or a component failure.

The first communication link is determined by the first device based on the network topology of the in-vehicle communication network and the route target of the communication data. The first communication link can be the communication link with the shortest / optimal distance or the shortest latency in the in-vehicle communication network. The first device can determine the route target by parsing the address information of the communication data. The route target can be, for example, a controller, one or more other gateways, or one or more communication endpoints.

Step S103: When detecting that the first communication link is normal, the first device routes the first communication data by using the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy.

Step S104: When detecting that the first communication link is abnormal, the first device may use a part of the first communication data or a part of the first communication data by using the second communication link indicated by the local routing policy. Route everything.

The second communication link is determined by the first device based on the network topology of the in-vehicle communication network and the route target of the communication data. The second communication link is different from the first communication link. In this embodiment of the invention, the communication line redundancy described in the above-mentioned in-vehicle communication network, communication endpoint redundancy, and controller redundancy (redundant connection generated by combining a ring network and a star network). And based on the redundant connections created by combining the mesh network and the star network), the first device has the shortest / optimal distance or the shortest latency in addition to the first communication link. 2 communication links can be determined. In addition, some or all of the first communication data (eg, information with high importance and / or high priority, and / or a small amount of data) is routed by using the second communication link. Will be done. For the specific implementation process, refer to the description in the above-mentioned related embodiment. For the sake of brevity herein, details are not described again herein.

When the method is implemented, in the normal case, the device (eg, gateway or controller) in the in-vehicle communication network selects the best / shortest communication link based on the network topology to implement the communication. Well, as a result, it can be seen that communication requirements for low latency transmission can be guaranteed between the gateway and the controller, and between the gateways. Communication interactions can still be implemented by using different communication links when the controller, gateway, interface, or link is abnormal. It maintains network transmission capability, guarantees communication function security, improves the robustness, stability, and reliability of in-vehicle communication networks, and improves the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.

The methods in embodiments of the invention are described in detail above and the devices in embodiments of the invention are provided below.

Referring to FIG. 19, embodiments of the present invention provide device 1100. The device includes a processor 1101, a memory 1102, a transmitter 1103, and a receiver 1104. Processor 1101, memory 1102, transmitter 1103, and receiver 1104 are connected to each other (eg, connected to each other by using a bus, or one of processor 1101, memory 1102, transmitter 1103, and receiver 1104. Parts or all can be combined with each other).

The memory 1102 is, but is not limited to, a random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), a read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, EPROM), or a compact. Includes disk read-only memory (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory, CD-ROM). The memory 1102 is configured to store related instructions and related data (eg, communication data).

The transmitter 1103 is configured to transmit data and the receiver 1104 is configured to receive data.

Processor 1101 can be one or more central processing units (Central Processing Units, CPUs). When the processor 1101 is one CPU, the CPU can be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

The processor 1101 is configured to read the program code stored in the memory 1102 and implement the function of the first device in the embodiment of FIG. The first device can be, for example, a gateway or controller.

In particular, when the device 1100 is a gateway, the program code stored in the memory 1102 is particularly used to implement the function of any gateway in the in-vehicle communication network according to any of FIGS. 3 to 17. , This arbitrary gateway can be an independent gateway, or a gateway that integrates some functions of the controller (eg, the functions of the controller in the embodiments of FIGS. 14-17), or all the functions of the controller (eg). For example, the function of the controller in the embodiments of FIGS. 12 and 13.

In particular, when the device 1100 is a controller, the program code stored in the memory 1102 is particularly used to implement the function of the controller in the in-vehicle communication network in any one of the embodiments of FIGS. 3 to 11. To.

It should be noted that FIG. 19 is merely an implementation of this embodiment of the invention. In a practical application, the terminal 1100 may further include more or less components. This is not limited herein.

All or part of the above embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement an embodiment, the embodiment may be fully or partially implemented in the form of a computer program product. Computer program products include one or more computer instructions. When a computer program instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, all or all of the procedures or functions are generated according to embodiments of the present invention. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a computer, a computer network, or another programmable device. Computer instructions can be stored on a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from a computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, computer instructions can be wired (eg, coaxial cable, optical fiber, or digital subscriber line) or wireless (eg, infrared, microwave, etc.) from a website, computer, server, or data center to another web. Can be sent to a site, computer, server, or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any usable medium accessible by the computer, or a data storage device, server or data center that integrates one or more usable media. Usable media can be magnetic media (eg floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (eg DVDs), semiconductor media (eg solid state drives), and the like.

In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus. For parts not described in detail in the embodiments, refer to the relevant description in the other embodiments.

In an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, each gateway device is connected to a control device to form a star network. Therefore, when multiple gateway devices further form a mesh network, the star network and the mesh network work together to implement redundant transmission. Compared to the ring networks mentioned above, mesh networks can further enhance redundant connectivity between gateways. Thus, network topology architectures formed on the basis of star and mesh networks can provide more / more complex redundancy in terms of architecture and system design. In the normal case, the device (eg, gateway or controller) in the in-vehicle communication network may select the best / shortest communication link based on the network topology to implement the communication, and as a result, with the gateway. Communication requirements for low latency transmission can be guaranteed between the controller and the gateway. When a gateway, interface, or link is abnormal, redundant transmission implemented by star and mesh networks is used to ensure network transmission capability, communication functional security, and in-vehicle communication network robustness. , Stability, and reliability are further improved, and the safety of vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles, is further improved.

According to the second aspect, in a possible embodiment, each communication endpoint comprises at least one of an electrical control unit of a sensor and an actuator.

Moreover, as mentioned above, when some function of the gateway fails, the switching capacity of the gateway can be reduced , or the traffic capacity of the line port can be reduced. In this case, the gateway may change the communication link, send data of high priority or high importance, or send data in a manner of data partitioning.

In various application scenarios, electronic components such as controller chips, cables, interfaces, and connectors may hit or fail, or various electronic components may be impacted, loosened, disconnected, or damaged. Yes, or some electronic components may be defective or damaged after a car collision. These possibilities can result in disruption of the in-vehicle communication network or damage to some vehicle functions. When an exception occurs, the first device may detect the exception of the first communication link according to the detection method, for example, for a physical layer, a MAC layer, or a component failure.

All or part of the above embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement an embodiment, the embodiment may be fully or partially implemented in the form of a computer program product. Computer program products include one or more computer instructions. When a computer program instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the procedure or function is generated according to embodiments of the present invention. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a computer, a computer network, or another programmable device. Computer instructions can be stored on a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from a computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, computer instructions can be wired (eg, coaxial cable, optical fiber, or digital subscriber line) or wireless (eg, infrared, microwave, etc.) from a website, computer, server, or data center to another web. Can be sent to a site, computer, server, or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any usable medium accessible by the computer, or a data storage device, server or data center that integrates one or more usable media. Usable media can be magnetic media (eg floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (eg DVDs), semiconductor media (eg solid state drives), and the like.

Claims (25)

An in-vehicle communication system including at least one control device, a plurality of gateway devices, and a plurality of communication endpoints, each gateway device is communicably connected to the control device, and each gateway device is the said. Communicatably connected to at least two other gateway devices in the plurality of gateway devices, each gateway device is further communicably connected to at least one communication endpoint, and the plurality of gateway devices are the first gateway device. Including
The control device is configured to control each communication endpoint in the plurality of communication endpoints.
When the first gateway device receives the first communication data of end-to-end communication, the first communication data is to be routed by using the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy. And when the first communication link is abnormal, it is configured to route some or all of the first communication data by using the second communication link indicated by the local routing policy. Being done
The end-to-end communication includes communication between at least two communication endpoints at the plurality of communication endpoints, communication between at least two gateway devices at the plurality of gateway devices, and arbitrary communication at the plurality of communication endpoints. A system comprising at least one of communication between a communication endpoint and the control device, and communication between any gateway device and the control device in the plurality of gateway devices. The system of claim 1, wherein each communication endpoint comprises at least one of an electrical control unit of a sensor and an actuator. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices is connected in series to a gateway device adjacent to the gateway device to form a ring communication network. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices is communicably connected to all other gateway devices to form a mesh communication network. The one according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the local routing policy of the first gateway device is determined based on the network topology of the in-vehicle communication system and the route target of the end-to-end communication. system. The fact that the first communication link is abnormal is particularly noticeable.
The failure of the first communication link,
The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising at least one of the congestion of the first communication link and the failure of some functions of the first communication link. .. At least two communication endpoints in the plurality of communication endpoints have the same function or overlapping functions.
The at least two communication endpoints are separately communicable connected to different gateway devices, or at least one communication endpoint at the at least two communication endpoints becomes at least one gateway device at the plurality of gateway devices. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is communicably connected and another communication endpoint at the at least two communication endpoints is communicably connected to at least one control device. The at least two communication endpoints are installed in the same area of the vehicle, the same area being the left front area of the vehicle, the right front area of the vehicle, the left rear area of the vehicle, the right rear area of the vehicle. The system of claim 7, wherein the system is one of a front area of the vehicle, a central area of the vehicle, a rear area of the vehicle, a left area of the vehicle, and a right area of the vehicle. The at least one communication endpoint in the plurality of communication endpoints is separately communicable to the at least two gateway devices in the plurality of gateway devices, or the at least one communication endpoint in the plurality of communication endpoints is. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the system is communicably connected to at least one gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices and communicably connected to at least one control device. The first gateway device is
When receiving the second communication data of the end-to-end communication, a part or all of the second communication data is routed by using the third communication link indicated by the local routing policy. , And any one of claims 1-9, further configured to route some or all of the second communication data by using the fourth communication link indicated by the local routing policy. The system described in the section. The control device and one gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices are combined as the same physical entity or placed in the same physical position, and the control device is communicably connected to the gateway device through an internal line. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the control device is communicably connected to another gateway device through an external line. There are multiple control devices, and each control device and the different gateway devices in the plurality of gateway devices are combined as the same physical entity or placed in the same physical position, and each control device is said to be connected through an internal line. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the gateway device coupled to the control device is communicably connected, and each control device is communicably connected to another gateway device through an external line. .. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the in-vehicle communication system is placed in the chassis of the vehicle. An in-vehicle communication system including a plurality of gateway devices and a plurality of communication endpoints, each gateway device is communicably connected to at least two other gateway devices in the plurality of gateway devices, and each gateway device is connected. Connected communicably to at least one communication endpoint,
N types of functional entities are distributed in a distributed manner on at least two gateway devices in the plurality of gateway devices, and at least one of the N types of functional entities is the at least two gateway devices. The sum of the types of functional entities placed on each gateway device in, and placed on at least two gateway devices, covers the N types of functional entities, N ≧ 2, and the plurality of gateways. The device includes the first gateway device and includes
The N types of functional entities are jointly configured to implement the functionality of the control device, the functionality of the control device representing the functionality of controlling each communication endpoint at the plurality of communication endpoints. ,
When the first gateway device receives the first communication data of end-to-end communication, the first communication data is to be routed by using the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy. And when the first communication link is abnormal, it is configured to route some or all of the first communication data by using the second communication link indicated by the local routing policy. Being done
The end-to-end communication includes communication between at least two communication endpoints at the plurality of communication endpoints, communication between at least two gateway devices at the plurality of gateway devices, and arbitrary communication at the plurality of communication endpoints. Communication between the communication endpoint and any functional entity of the at least two gateway devices, and communication between any gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices and any functional entity of the at least two gateway devices. A system that includes at least one of them. 14. The system of claim 14, wherein each communication endpoint comprises at least one of an electrical control unit of a sensor and an actuator. Each gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices is connected in series to a gateway device adjacent to the gateway device to form a ring communication network, or each gateway device is communicably connected to all other gateway devices. The system according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the mesh communication network is formed. The local routing policy of the first gateway device is determined according to any one of claims 14 to 16, which is determined based on the network topology of the in-vehicle communication system and the route target of the end-to-end communication. system. The fact that the first communication link is abnormal is particularly noticeable.
The failure of the first communication link,
The system according to any one of claims 14 to 17, comprising at least one of congestion of the first communication link and failure of some functions of the first communication link. .. At least two communication endpoints in the plurality of communication endpoints have the same function or overlapping functions, and the at least two communication endpoints are separately communicably connected to different gateway devices, or at least the above. At least one communication endpoint in the two communication endpoints is communicably connected to at least one gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices, and another communication endpoint in the at least two communication endpoints is at least one. Communicatably connected to the control device, or at least one communication endpoint at the plurality of communication endpoints is separately communicable to at least two gateway devices at the plurality of gateway devices, or the plurality of communications. Any of claims 14-18, wherein at least one communication endpoint at the endpoint is communicably connected to at least one gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices and communicably connected to at least one control device. Or the system described in item 1. An in-vehicle communication system applied to an in-vehicle communication system, wherein the in-vehicle communication system includes at least one control device, a plurality of gateway devices, and a plurality of communication endpoints, and each gateway device comprises. Communicatably connected to the control device, each gateway device is communicably connected to at least two other gateway devices in the plurality of gateway devices, and each gateway device is further communicable to at least one communication endpoint. Connected to the above method
The step of receiving the first communication data of end-to-end communication by the first device,
The step of detecting whether or not the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy is abnormal by the first device, and
When it detects that the first communication link is normal, the first device routes the first communication data by using the first communication link indicated by the local routing policy. Or, when detecting that the first communication link is abnormal, the first communication data by using the second communication link indicated by the local routing policy by the first device. Including steps to route some or all of
The first device is any gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices, or any control device in the at least one control device, and the end-to-end communication is at least two in the plurality of communication endpoints. Communication between communication endpoints, communication between at least two gateway devices in the plurality of gateway devices, communication between any communication endpoint and the control device in the plurality of communication endpoints, and the plurality. A method comprising at least one of communication between any gateway device and said control device in a gateway device. 20. The method of claim 20, wherein each communication endpoint comprises at least one of an electrical control unit of a sensor and an actuator. Each gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices is connected in series to a gateway device adjacent to the gateway device to form a ring communication network, or each gateway device is communicably connected to all other gateway devices. Being formed a mesh communication network,
Prior to the step of receiving the first communication data of end-to-end communication by the first device,
The method of claim 20 or 21, further comprising determining the local routing policy by the first device based on the network topology of the in-vehicle communication system and the route target of the end-to-end communication. The fact that the first communication link is abnormal is particularly noticeable.
The failure of the first communication link,
The method according to any one of claims 20 to 22, comprising at least one of congestion of the first communication link and failure of some functions of the first communication link. .. The step of receiving the second communication data of the end-to-end communication by the first device,
A step of routing some or all of the second communication data by the first device by using the third communication link indicated by the local routing policy.
23. The invention of any one of claims 20-23, further comprising the step of routing some or all of the second communication data by using the fourth communication link indicated by the local routing policy. the method of. An in-vehicle communication device in an in-vehicle communication system, wherein the in-vehicle communication system includes at least one control device, a plurality of gateway devices, and a plurality of communication endpoints, and each gateway device is the control device. Communicatably connected to, each gateway device is communicably connected to at least two other gateway devices in said plurality of gateway devices, and each gateway device is further communicably connected to at least one communication endpoint. ,
The device is, in particular, a first device, wherein the first device is any gateway device in the plurality of gateway devices, or any control device in the at least one control device.
The device comprises a memory, a communication interface, the memory and a processor coupled to the communication interface, the memory being configured to store an instruction, and the processor to execute the instruction. Configured, the communication interface is configured to communicate with another device in the in-vehicle communication system under the control of the processor.
An in-vehicle communication device, wherein the processor is configured to perform a step in the method according to any one of claims 20 to 24, in particular when executing the order.

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